Home to Stay (The Long Road Home #2) - Maryann Jordan Page 0,42
her, drive safe, and don’t engage. Just get her out and get back here. While you’re driving, I’m calling it into Mace and briefing the others. Josh and Rick can call up the CCTV to give you insight into the area if needed. Mace can call in markers if needed also. But I’ll tell you this—keep your eyes open. Whatever intel you can gather and bring back on the Minotaurs, we can use.”
“You got it.”
Bray explained the border procedure for a civilian before they disconnected, and for the first time in the past fifteen minutes, his breathing eased slightly. He thought of Mace, Bray, and the others. Teamwork. Just like old times. Just what he missed.
Looking at his GPS, he turned on the radio. At this speed… three hours to go.
Approaching the hotel’s parking lot at almost three a.m., John’s attention was razor-sharp. He saw the bikes parked in the lot, and driving slowly, pulled out his phone, snapping the license plates of several of them. Parking to the side, he approached the well-lit lobby and saw several more bikers milling around on the inside. He entered the glass doors and glanced around. His gaze swung side to side, but he didn’t see Lucy. His stomach dropped and his heart pounded, but he kept his expression blank when the bored receptionist looked his way.
Turning, he spied a chair in the corner, well-hidden behind a plant. Moving forward, it was obvious there was no one there. Fuckin’ hell. His phone vibrated in his pocket. Pulling it out, he read the text.
Outside. Near your vehicle.
Fighting the urge to run, he turned and walked outside, making his way to his SUV, careful to stay in the shadows and keep his eye out for anyone, Lucy or biker, not knowing if she sent the text or if someone had her and was using her phone to lure him out. Approaching his vehicle from the rear, he stopped, his head cocked to the side, listening.
A movement caught his attention as a head popped up over the hood of his SUV.
“John?” came the soft female voice he’d already memorized.
He hustled forward, barely able to plant his feet as Lucy ran, slamming into him as her arms encircled his waist. “Christ, Lucy,” he managed to get out, finding his breath stuck in his lungs at the feel of her shaking body pressed against his as though she were burrowing to be as close as possible. Wrapping her up, he buried his nose in her hair, pulling her tight with one hand on the back of her head and the other banded across her back. Until he had her in his arms, he’d refused to acknowledge how worried he’d been. Now, all the emotions threatened to rush to the forefront, a problem he’d never dealt with before on a mission.
Her arm stayed locked tightly around him, and in another time or place he’d want nothing more than to enjoy her silky hair against his skin, breathe in her scent, and revel in the feel of her luscious body pressed against his, but they needed to get out of there and back home.
Leaning back, he looked down. “Lucy, it’s okay. I’m here. But why the fuck did you not stay inside?”
She tilted her head back, tears shimmering in her eyes. “I didn’t think it was safe.”
Unable to keep the reproach from his expression, he shook his head. “Lucy.”
Her fingers clutched tighter to the back of his shirt as she shifted her gaze from side to side before bringing it back to his face. Her words came out in a rush, a tremor in her voice. “No, you don’t understand. It was fine for a while, and then suddenly, the stairwell door near me flew open and several of them came out. My chair was kind of behind the door so nobody paid any attention to me, but the lobby was beginning to be a gathering place. I thought they’d all gone up and gone to bed, but it’s like they don’t sleep. By then, there was only the one person behind the reception desk, and believe me, John, if anything was going to happen, they’d do nothing. They didn’t look scared, so it made me wonder if this group hasn’t come here before. But I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that if anyone started bothering me, I was not going to get any help. So, I slipped out of the lobby and went through the back door.